This is a place to tell your TLBC banding stories.

Share your experiences with:

* Consultations

* Testing

* Phsyc exams

* Seminars

* Surgery

* Support

* Staff

* Recovery tips

* Fills

* Out of Town Fill Doctors

* What do you wish you had known?

* Etc...

I will be banded in 7 days & I will post my story here. :party:

This is the first time I have been on this site. I have lost all the weight I want since I have been banded (approximately 1 year ago) and am starting to learn to maintain. I attended the Boot Camp and Living with the Band and am sorry to hear that they are not being run any more. I was also sad to hear that they are not carrying the Metagenics line and would like to know what they are going to carry instead. Like many on this site, I was also surprised to hear that Jill had left as she had been such a huge support for me. It has been very upsetting to see what has been happening since Jill has left - everyone has been so uptight and non communicative about what is going on. The only comments I have heard about Jill leaving is what Lisa put on this site which I find very confusing and/or slanderous as she says that Jill was fired and I was told that she resigned and it was accepted. Jill would only tell me that she resigned and would say nothing else even when I pushed for more information. All I would like is honesty from all sides.

I have been in touch with her (I got her number through directory assistance) and was told by her that she is NOT running any boot camp or boot camp type programs or coaching. She sounds great and is doing well. She is considering going back into her own business as a certified chef and nutrionist in the future.

Marivan I completely agree! But I did call Jill also today and she has told me she is not going to be doing any "Bootcamps" at this time.

It has really left a bad taste in my mouth about TLBC! It also brings me back to something that has worried me since the change over to Slimband and that is when I paid my $16,000 and had my surgery in my contract it states that I have a lifetime of post op care of fill and defills. I was worried that Slimband would not honor this but I have spoken to my lawyer and he said that when he reviewed my contract that he felt confident they would honor this. But when you see stuff like this it makes me worried. However I doubt they would want the bad publicly that it would cause to renege on our contracts.

I have followed this thread for quite awhile now and decided to join and post today. I too did the Boot Camps at TLBC and did not enjoy them one bit, I found them boring and lacking any real insight into what I was looking for. I found the instructor 'Jill' dull and repetitive. She continuosly discussed HER lapband journey when I was there to learn coping skills for my emotional eating. Another point I want to make is this is getting quite frustrating, seeing all these new members join to post one post and all praising Jill and pumping up her new obvious business. I also appreciated reading the official response from TLBC and notice that not one person is wondering what the 'fantastic' person must have done to be let go from her position due to professional misconduct. I get it, some people really liked this women, well, I am sure others of us didnt and I infact stopped attending the programs at TLBC due to her. I look forward to the new programs and I realize that TLBC can offer me all the programs in the world but I am going to have to be the one to lose my remaining weight.

Tammy

Banded 1.5 years

down 73 lbs.

You have your view point, but I would like to say that Jill was a nutritionist and chef not a psycological doctor. If you have issues with coping skills and emotional eating, you should be making an appointment with the on staff psychologist.

As for TLBC posting a very negative comment about Jill without some supporting facts or evidence is very poor judgment. I would imagine this may be a personal fight between the clinic and Jill that will sort itself out in the courts. Until I read a court judgment or a settlement I reserve the right to continue to support Jill.

I have followed this thread for quite awhile now and decided to join and post today. I too did the Boot Camps at TLBC and did not enjoy them one bit, I found them boring and lacking any real insight into what I was looking for. I found the instructor 'Jill' dull and repetitive. She continuosly discussed HER lapband journey when I was there to learn coping skills for my emotional eating. Another point I want to make is this is getting quite frustrating, seeing all these new members join to post one post and all praising Jill and pumping up her new obvious business. I also appreciated reading the official response from TLBC and notice that not one person is wondering what the 'fantastic' person must have done to be let go from her position due to professional misconduct. I get it, some people really liked this women, well, I am sure others of us didnt and I infact stopped attending the programs at TLBC due to her. I look forward to the new programs and I realize that TLBC can offer me all the programs in the world but I am going to have to be the one to lose my remaining weight.

Tammy

Banded 1.5 years

down 73 lbs.

Yes Heather what you post is absolutely true. We should all be upbeat and have spring in our steps as we journey along. But that is not always the way it is in real life. Real people have their ups and down and sometimes this site is the only place to express their feelings.

Try to disuade people that post negative thoughts is not helping them in any way.

I am thrilled you have seven years of wonderful progress and I personally like to hear about your journey, but I also want to hear from the souls who are struggling. I try to read into what they are saying and hopefully I can give them a little light at the end of the tunnel.

The TLBC (Slimband) is my clinic and I still feel they are the best but they have struggled recently in reorganization. The previous posts were people who were frustrated and needed to vent. Going public with complaints about a company after numerous unsuccessful attempts to solve a problem quite often brings a solution. It did in the most recent post.

So I would encourage anyone that is having issues to post your concerns and not stifle them. Getting your feeling out in the open is the only way you can solve them. Keeping your thoughts to yourself will only fester and we all know where that leads us ---to more eating.

Doddie,

I think that everyone needs to hear about the good the bad and the ugly.. .for some of us this is easier than for others. I have always encouraged people to post their challenges. I haven't read all 14 pages and I said that I have read the last 3-4 and some of that was down right nasty.. people saying their experiences were good and being accused of being staff and a plant come on please... if you can't see that you are one person and not everyone has your issues then maybe you are a plant... to make slimband look bad, someone a competitor is paying to take an issue and blow it up and discourage patients! (see that sounds crazy just like accusing someone who has a good experience of being a plant is crazy)

Slimband is working to overcome their issues just like any other clinic out there. I don't think harping on the same issues for page after page doesn't anything but feel the negative... and focus on the negative and breeds more negative thoughts.

I encourage people to post their challenges their complaints but I also encourage them to address their complaints in a manner that will get addressed by the clinic and posting them on here does nothing but vent which is sometimes very needed..

After reading three pages it is like come on if you change your focus towards the positive maybe more positive things will come of it.... I am not a huge fan of the secret but I have worked affirmations and meditation etc into my life for a lot of years and it works for me... focus on the negative long term and negative things will happen to you.. focus on the positive and the changes will amaze you that happen they may be small but they add up.

So by all means everyone vent... but vent and move on and change your focus the longer you hold on to the anger the longer it will hold on to you

So I guess that answers the questions about TLBC monitoring this board. It sounds like Heather is also a TLBC/Slimband employee. I have been watching this place for a while and have found it very helpful in my lap band jurney.

However if TLBC is watching and posting how do we know what is true and what is not.:cool:

How does TLBC have the right to stop someone from setting up their own bootcamp if it would help us?

Now I am really confusd.

cindy

Oh my lord.. I am so not employed by TLBC or slimband I was banded long before they existed... look at my profile and you will see how long I have been a member of this site... want to talk to other bandsters who have met me and who also don't work for a clinic and I can provide those references hell I can even provide a SWLC employee as a reference and she will tell you I am not employed by Slimband...

I am a software consultant... right now I work with a fortune 50 company in Colorado Springs... call Slimband and ask... people have met me... lots of them I hosted the Yahoo dinner I have been on here as a member since the site started there are times I have less time to post and more time to post... right now I am trying to refocus so I am making the time to post... people needs support at different times and I can tell that support is working so well on this page!

I don't get why the accusations.... if you want a copy of my resume I will send it to you and you will see there is not one once of medical stuff on it.. and I don't plan on changing that.

This is insane... people are people people get banded all the time, new people join, old people drop off, just because you don't like what I have to say doesn't make me a plant...

Read and you might learn from me and as I read I might learn from you. Just as I might learn from others... and so can you

As for why when people leave the clinics they can't set up their own businesses competing with the clinics I work contracts and standard in most of the contracts I sign as non compete clauses which means I can't take all the knowledge and contacts I made for a client and use that for my own gain... or that client can sue me for violating the non compete. The clinic may have similar things set up for employees I know when I was employer all the people who worked for me had long non competes which were very specific.. and almost every contract I sign has similar clauses.

Edited January 10, 200917 yr by susieq321
change spelling

Oh my lord.. I am so not employed by TLBC or slimband I was banded long before they existed... look at my profile and you will see how long I have been a member of this site... want to talk to other bandsters who have met me and who also don't work for a clinic and I can provide those references hell I can even provide a SWLC employee as a reference and she will tell you I am not employed by Slimband...

OK Heather. It is almost like "Thou protest too much". You and only you know whether Slimband has offered you something to be their eyes and voice on here. Your resume will not prove anything. Your conscience will be the final judge.

Nonethess "Slimband" has posted on here so we know they are watching, and maybe postin through someone else as well. The point is that I can no longer trust that anything we read on here is truly unbiased. I will call Slimband myself and see if they have the integrity to admit to what they are doing.

I have watched this board since I was banded by Dr. Yau last year and have never felt the nned to post before. I am disappointed that TLBC has violated my trust and aired their dirty landry here. I am doing fine with my band and love it. I am determined that nothing will change that.

Cindy

OK Heather. It is almost like "Thou protest too much". You and only you know whether Slimband has offered you something to be their eyes and voice on here. Your resume will not prove anything. Your conscience will be the final judge.

Nonethess "Slimband" has posted on here so we know they are watching, and maybe postin through someone else as well. The point is that I can no longer trust that anything we read on here is truly unbiased. I will call Slimband myself and see if they have the integrity to admit to what they are doing.

I have watched this board since I was banded by Dr. Yau last year and have never felt the nned to post before. I am disappointed that TLBC has violated my trust and aired their dirty landry here. I am doing fine with my band and love it. I am determined that nothing will change that.

Cindy

Cindy,

It couldn't just be that I was offended... go back and read my posts there are 288 of them if you look at my profile. Think what you want I am not here to change your mind. I came back to get support at a time I needed it and offer what has worked for me in the past. Take from that what you want and if you want to think I am a clinic support staff come up and say hi to me next time you are there...

And I plan on continue posting read it don't read it.. I am not sure what Slimband did to violate your trust as I said I haven't read all 14 pages and I don't plan on reading them.

We all need different support at different times I have hit a low point where I threw out all my rules for about 8 months while I watched a love one die of cancer. So now I need to refocus and for me focusing has been posting on support groups and getting what I needed. When my port was moved in Oct I was talking to Patrick Yau about it and he as my surgeon encouraged me to get back to my basics... I wasn't ready to do it then and now I am.

I am sorry you think I protest to much and I am support staff... I hope no one ever treats you when you are looking for support the way you have decided to treat others!

heather

I just found out about this site yesterday and I did post something yesterday after reading all 14 pages prior to my blurb.

I don't think this site is so that we can point fingers at each other and to think that every other person is conducting industrial espionage.

The reality of the situation is that we are not all going to click to the same person - that's what makes the world go around!! I am the first one to admit that I was very upset when I found out that Jill left as she had steered me through my journey and was not there to know that I had reached my goal. I miss her. However, I realize that life goes on and I hope that after Slimband has completed their overhaul or whatever it is that they are doing, I will be able to find the same level of support, friendship and solace that I have found in the past. If in fact this site is being monitored by a staff from the clinic, I would love it if they could explain the changes - it might be helpful to a lot of people to know what changes are being made, why (there is a theory that if it ain't broke, don't fix it) and what we can expect in the future. I think that some of the problem might be that for those bandsters that have been around for awhile, the changes have not been explained in any way. On some levels we are not owed the explanation, however it would be nice.

Hi Heather: I think the discussion going on is healthy but it is getting a little heated and I think we all could cool it and count to ten.

Heather if you need support, please say so and I and I am sure others will do everything possible to help. I am so sorry for the death of your loved one. It is an experience I wish on no one.

Where are you having difficulties. I know that in the "olden days" when I tried to restart a diet, I seemed to continually fail because I just couldn't get my head around going thru the same of pain of denial.

By any chance are you trying the "old ways" and not realizing it or perhaps you could try the 5 day challenge. I haven't tried it but it seems to work according to others.

Cindy,

It couldn't just be that I was offended... go back and read my posts there are 288 of them if you look at my profile. Think what you want I am not here to change your mind. I came back to get support at a time I needed it and offer what has worked for me in the past. Take from that what you want and if you want to think I am a clinic support staff come up and say hi to me next time you are there...

And I plan on continue posting read it don't read it.. I am not sure what Slimband did to violate your trust as I said I haven't read all 14 pages and I don't plan on reading them.

We all need different support at different times I have hit a low point where I threw out all my rules for about 8 months while I watched a love one die of cancer. So now I need to refocus and for me focusing has been posting on support groups and getting what I needed. When my port was moved in Oct I was talking to Patrick Yau about it and he as my surgeon encouraged me to get back to my basics... I wasn't ready to do it then and now I am.

I am sorry you think I protest to much and I am support staff... I hope no one ever treats you when you are looking for support the way you have decided to treat others!

heather

Hi Heather: I think the discussion going on is healthy but it is getting a little heated and I think we all could cool it and count to ten.

Heather if you need support, please say so and I and I am sure others will do everything possible to help. I am so sorry for the death of your loved one. It is an experience I wish on no one.

Where are you having difficulties. I know that in the "olden days" when I tried to restart a diet, I seemed to continually fail because I just couldn't get my head around going thru the same of pain of denial.

By any chance are you trying the "old ways" and not realizing it or perhaps you could try the 5 day challenge. I haven't tried it but it seems to work according to others.

Doddie,

Thank you for the offer, right now forgive me if I am annoyed frankly I think Cindy is a plant... three posts all negative and meant to stir the pot please that sounds like a rival clinic to me. I was talking to a friends who isn't banded and she actually gave me the idea... I told her the scenario and she said the best offense is a good defense... so it sounds like this person is a plant trying to stir up ill will towards your clinic and like she might be employed by a rival clinic lets face it banding is big business worth a lot of money and as a clinic if I can steer people away from the busiest clinic with the most patients then they up for grabs for the others clinics to make money off of. Was a 50 years Cindy even banded last year who lives in Sudbury? I don't know only Slimband and she does.... and I am guessing based on her accusations of me that the answer to that is no.

I have had a very different journey than most, 7 complication surgeries but overall my journey is relatively easy. I just have the need to refocus my energies on my journey. And I will do that however it works for me.. I have been posting on myslimband since it is a different forum and I wanted to try a different crowd than the Yahoo group with a different perspective than I was reading.. and so I came back here too.

For me it works to go back to my basics but I also want to add a few things in there and I am struggling with how to add a love of fitness in there...

So for now I think I will keep posting everywhere it suits me and sorry if that annoys the people who aren't happy but it makes me happy and just for kicks everytime I read something negative I think I might just find a positive story about Slimband/TLBC from my present and past and maybe even the future as it happens and post that for contrast....

Slimband has done awesome things... they have done a ton for their patients over the years. But there will always be patients who fail to meet their goals and blame everyone else for the reasons why instead of themselves. And I so understand about venting and getting it off your chest I don't understand focusing on the negative. People will post what they want positive or negative... I am just choosing to focus on the good instead of the bad because I know in my life it is how I get to the best places for me to be.

Again Doddie thank you I will continue posting and taking what works for me out of this discussion and the others on the site..

Thats weird about what TLBC says about Jill. They had told me the same about my consultant Dorothy being fired for the same thing..un-proffesional behavior. Really gets you wondering.

Just to let everyone know so as not to dwell on the negative and make some of you believe I'm a negative person.... Belina at Slimband has been working hard to help me with my issues and they (Slimband) are bringing the fill nurse up to Sudbury for us northerners which has me pretty excited. After almost getting squished by a transport the time I went for my first fill. I am absolutly terrified to go back to Toronto again this winter.

Has anyone else here , not lose any weight after their first fill?

Congrats Jorja,

I am so excited that Slimband is sending a fill nurse to you. I am glad to see that they are doing the right thing. It is a good move on their part!

I am glad that you wrote about your experiences on this site I think it helped you get the positive response that you did from Slimband. I hope that the people that read these posts who don't like negative things written about ones own personal experiences should know that good things can come out of it! Right Jorja:thumbup:

I personally love to hear the good, bad and the ugly, but unfortunately it gets out of hand at times, i got caught up in it as well and I apologize for that, but I must admit these posts are entertaining.

Doddie,

You have a good balance in your posts, I wish mine could come across as well as yours do! Keep it up. :thumbup:

Doddie,

Thank you for the offer, right now forgive me if I am annoyed frankly I think Cindy is a plant... three posts all negative and meant to stir the pot please that sounds like a rival clinic to me. I was talking to a friends who isn't banded and she actually gave me the idea... I told her the scenario and she said the best offense is a good defense... so it sounds like this person is a plant trying to stir up ill will towards your clinic and like she might be employed by a rival clinic lets face it banding is big business worth a lot of money and as a clinic if I can steer people away from the busiest clinic with the most patients then they up for grabs for the others clinics to make money off of. Was a 50 years Cindy even banded last year who lives in Sudbury? I don't know only Slimband and she does.... and I am guessing based on her accusations of me that the answer to that is no.

I have had a very different journey than most, 7 complication surgeries but overall my journey is relatively easy. I just have the need to refocus my energies on my journey. And I will do that however it works for me.. I have been posting on myslimband since it is a different forum and I wanted to try a different crowd than the Yahoo group with a different perspective than I was reading.. and so I came back here too.

For me it works to go back to my basics but I also want to add a few things in there and I am struggling with how to add a love of fitness in there...

So for now I think I will keep posting everywhere it suits me and sorry if that annoys the people who aren't happy but it makes me happy and just for kicks everytime I read something negative I think I might just find a positive story about Slimband/TLBC from my present and past and maybe even the future as it happens and post that for contrast....

Slimband has done awesome things... they have done a ton for their patients over the years. But there will always be patients who fail to meet their goals and blame everyone else for the reasons why instead of themselves. And I so understand about venting and getting it off your chest I don't understand focusing on the negative. People will post what they want positive or negative... I am just choosing to focus on the good instead of the bad because I know in my life it is how I get to the best places for me to be.

Again Doddie thank you I will continue posting and taking what works for me out of this discussion and the others on the site..

Heather,

What a conspiracy theory you have come up with. You think everyone else is working for another clinic yet it seems you are working for Slimband. If they hired you to drum up business, I think they deserve their money back. You are the worst advertisement for them. It is so obvious that you are pushing them every chance you get. I have in fact read through many of your old posts and you never mentioned them as much as you have in past week. New job for you?

I love how you blame every new person of being a plant. You have been a member here a long time but that means nothing at all as to your credibility. You could be getting all kinds of perks for pushing the word on this clinic. I think this whole thread is nothing but a huge train wreck and people just can't look away. Your feeble attempt to start a new thread to keep people away from this one that is full of the truth didn't quite work out for you did it? You see that most people have seen right through your little game and continue to post in the original one.

I have read swansong's posts as well and nowhere does it say where she lives so it's a big assumption on your part that she's from Sudbury. Do you have super powers that the rest of us don't have to know where someone is from that hasn't posted it? I didn't think so, just another lame excuse to put the blame elsewhere. You seem like the plant here, just a long rooted one is all.

Enjoy your new job of promoting Slimband but quite honestly, you have done just the opposite. Your constant pushing towards it, has totally turned me away from it. I think they need to rethink their latest tactics to get patients because it just isn't working. You are a huge disservice to them and I believe it's been shown here just how much people do not trust you.

Lucy

Heather,

What a conspiracy theory you have come up with. You think everyone else is working for another clinic yet it seems you are working for Slimband. If they hired you to drum up business, I think they deserve their money back. You are the worst advertisement for them. It is so obvious that you are pushing them every chance you get. I have in fact read through many of your old posts and you never mentioned them as much as you have in past week. New job for you?

I love how you blame every new person of being a plant. You have been a member here a long time but that means nothing at all as to your credibility. You could be getting all kinds of perks for pushing the word on this clinic. I think this whole thread is nothing but a huge train wreck and people just can't look away. Your feeble attempt to start a new thread to keep people away from this one that is full of the truth didn't quite work out for you did it? You see that most people have seen right through your little game and continue to post in the original one.

I have read swansong's posts as well and nowhere does it say where she lives so it's a big assumption on your part that she's from Sudbury. Do you have super powers that the rest of us don't have to know where someone is from that hasn't posted it? I didn't think so, just another lame excuse to put the blame elsewhere. You seem like the plant here, just a long rooted one is all.

Enjoy your new job of promoting Slimband but quite honestly, you have done just the opposite. Your constant pushing towards it, has totally turned me away from it. I think they need to rethink their latest tactics to get patients because it just isn't working. You are a huge disservice to them and I believe it's been shown here just how much people do not trust you.

Lucy

Lucy,

It was meant to show how absurd accusing anyone of working for a clinic is... Just because some one has had good experiences doesn't make them a plant, it means they had good experiences.. just because someone has bad experiences doesn't make them a plant either it means they have had some bad experiences. Over all my experience with Slimband/TLBC/no clinic prior to that has been amazing and this is coming from a girl who has had 7 complications surgeries that required her to fly back to Toronto to have them fixed.... none of the complications were the surgeons fault and I attribute them to a faulty band and weight lost. Sorry but my experience is the opposite of theirs and i don't mind saying it doesn't make me a sales person it makes me a happy bandster.

As for where swansong lives i looked at her profile and it was on there... 50, sudbury , 3 posts and you can even read the posts so that is where I got that info.

I don't work for the clinic don't need to work for the clinic don't want to work for the clinic my clients are high enough maintenance without having to deal with patients who are super high maintenance pain in the asses myself included in that, god if I had to deal with people like us all day I would shoot myself.. I have sat in the waiting rooms and listened.. and not a hope... being a software consultant is bad enough people are horrid computers are simple, believe me or not...I don't care my pay cheques are signed by someone other than slimband.

You are going to go where you are going to go, I just say go where you are comfy and where you like the staff and the surgeons you will have a long relationship with them. You owe it to yourself to be happy with your clinic and the amount of money you spent and if you have 3-4 choices in your local area why not talk to all of them and then make your choice... I am not saying choose one over the other I am not saying lean to one over the other it is obvious where I would go and where I will take my mum when she is ready to be banded.

And I don't care if this thread goes on forever I wanted to start something more positive so sue me, something that was shorter again sue me.. as I have stated many times I prefer focusing on the positive but yes sometimes my annoyance gets the better of me like all people and do you honestly think if i worked at the clinic I could post what I have been posting... and they wouldn't fire me, or at least tell me to stop posting...think about it.. I have always been known to speak my mind and I am not going to change that. Read Canadian lapbanders on yahoo groups or read my posts here you can search my name and you will read that it is not all about the clinics neither are my posts on here for the most part until recently. Sorry when I see something I believe in being jumped on I will speak up... and I don't care who likes it.

And yes I will continue to post about my positive experiences because guess what I have that right just as people have the right to post about negative experiences... and when I had a negative experience I posted about that.. and dealt with it and got over it and moved on. People have both.. so what... I have never ever said don't post about the negative I have said post it and move on...

So good luck Lucy I hope it works out for you, I hope you meet and exceed your goals and I hope that for any one who is banded whether I like them or not or whether they go to my clinic or not it is a free market system may the best clinic win you business and I hope you do your research and ask a ton of questions and most importantly make the right choice for you and that you are comfy with.

But since I came here for support I think I will get back to my basics and start working on my support...

Heather